Sonchus oleraceus L.

M. Thulin et al. Flora of Somalia, Vol. 1-4 [updated 2008] https://plants.jstor.org/collection/FLOS

Morphology General Habit

Annual or biennial herb, 0.1–1.4 m high; stems (glaucous) green with reddish or purplish tinge, slightly succulent, hollow, stout and erect, glabrous or sometimes glandular-setose near the inflorescence

Morphology Leaves

Leaves dull green, often glaucous beneath, (ob)lanceolate in outline, entire to pinnatilobed, 4–30´1–9(–17) cm wide, base amplexicaul, auriculate with sagittate auricles, midrib narrowly winged and toothed, lobes few, reflexed, coarsely dentate, sometimes with spinulose teeth, the apical lobe ovate-hastate, glabrous; distal leaves becoming smaller and less lobed to subentire

Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences

Capitula few to many in lax leafy corymbs or panicles; involucre 10–13 mm long; phyllaries green with paler tips, the outer becoming swollen at base

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Florets

Florets many; corolla yellow, tube cylindric, 6–7.5 mm long, ligule 5.5–6 mm long

Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits

Achenes (reddish-)brown, narrowly obovoid, slightly flattened, 2.5–4 mm long, ribbed, minutely muricate; pappus white, 7–8 mm long.

Distribution

N2; cosmopolitan

Ecology

Altitude range 1300–1750 m.

Note

First record for Somalia.

Bernal, R., G. Galeano, A. Rodríguez, H. Sarmiento y M. Gutiérrez. 2017. Nombres Comunes de las Plantas de Colombia. http://www.biovirtual.unal.edu.co/nombrescomunes/

Vernacular

achicoria, canayuyo, cerraja, cerraja espinosa, chicoria, diente de león, escarola, lechosa, lechuga amarilla, lechuguilla, yerba de sapo

Compositae, H. Beentje, C. Jeffrey & D.J.N. Hind. Flora of Tropical East Africa. 2005

Morphology General Habit

Annual or biennial herb, 0.1–1.4 m high; stems (glaucous) green with reddish or purplish tinge, slightly succulent, hollow, stout and erect, simple or branched, ridged, glabrous or sometimes glandular-setose near the inflorescence.

Morphology Leaves

Leaves dull green, often glaucous beneath, (ob-)lanceolate in outline, entire to pinnatilobed, 4–30 cm long, 1–9(–17) cm wide, base amplexicaul, auriculate with sagittate auricles, blade pinnatilobed to pinnatipartite, midrib narrowly winged and toothed, lobes few, reflexed, coarsely dentate, sometimes with spinulose teeth, the apical lobe ovate-hastate, apex rounded or acute, glabrous; distal leaves becoming smaller and less lobed to subentire.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences Capitulum

Capitula few to many in lax leafy corymbs or panicles; involucre 10–13 mm long; phyllaries green with paler tips, lanceolate, 2.5–13 mm long, obtuse, glabrous but for the ciliate apex, or rarely glandular-setose on the midrib, the outer becoming swollen at base.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Florets

Florets many; corolla yellow, tube cylindric, 6–7.5 mm long, ligule 5.5–6 mm long.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits

Achenes (reddish)brown, narrowly obovoid, slightly flattened, 2.5–4 mm long, ribbed, minutely muricate; pappus white, 7–8 mm long.

Figures

Fig. 25.

Habitat

Ruderal sites, roadsides, weed of cultivation, a pioneer at the edges of bare soil; 950–2650 m

Distribution

native to Eurasia and North Africa, now a cosmopolitan weed K3 K4 K5 K6 K7 T1 T2 T3 T4 T6 T7 T8 U2

The Useful Plants of Boyacá project

Morphology General Habit

Herb.

Ecology

Alt. 580 - 3900 m.

Distribution

Introduced in Colombia.

Compositae, C. D. Adams. Flora of West Tropical Africa 2. 1963

Morphology General Habit

A coarse erect annual herb 1-3 ft. high

Morphology General Exudate

A milky sap

Morphology General Indumentum

Occasionally with glular hairs on stems peduncles

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Florets

Florets yellow

Note

A weed.

Distribution

Biogeografic region: Andean. Elevation range: 580–3900 m a.s.l. Naturalised in Colombia. Colombian departments: Antioquia, Bogotá DC, Boyacá, Cauca, Cesar, Chocó, Cundinamarca, Huila, Magdalena, Nariño, Putumayo, Quindío, Tolima, Valle del Cauca.

Habit

Herb.

Conservation

National Red List of Colombia (2021): Potential LC.

Ghazanfar, S. A., Edmondson, J. R. & Hind, D. J. N. (Eds). (2019). Flora of Iraq, Volume 6: Compositae.Kew Publishing

Morphology General Habit

Annual or biennial herb, 10–150 cm tall

Morphology Leaves

Cauline leaves sessile with acuminate auricles, 6–30 × 3–12 cm, elliptical or obovate in outline, usually more deeply divided but otherwise similar to basal, lobes ovate or deltoid to oblong, entire or dentate, teeth softly spinous or not Basal leaves simple to deeply pinnatipartite with a petioloid winged base

Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences

Inflorescence irregular, subcorymbose, with groups of 1–6 capitula; peduncles 0.5–3.5(–7) cm, glabrous or glandular-pilose

Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences Bracts Involucre

Involucre 8–12 mm, inner phyllaries linear, obtuse, glabrous or glandular- pilose

Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits

Achenes yellowish to brown, obovate or oblanceolate, compressed but not winged, faces 3-ribbed, scabrid, 2.5–3.5 mm; pappus hairs fine, persistent, 6–8 mm.

Ecology

In fields and date gardens, river banks, by roadsides on waste ground etc.; alt. up to 350(–450) m;

Phenology

flowering & fruiting: (Sept.-)Mar.-Apr.(-May).

Distribution

Occasional in the steppe and lower mountain region, quite common on the irrigated alluvial plain in the desert region of Iraq. Almost throughout Europe, Aegean  Is.,  Cyprus,  Syria,  Lebanon,  Palestine,  Jordan, Sinai, Egypt, N Africa, Arabia, Turkey, Caucasia, Iran, Afghanistan, Pakistan, India, C Asia (widespread), Siberia, China, Japan. Introduced world-wide as a weed in cultivated fields.

Vernacular

Guest has recorded the local common names for the plant as MURRAIR (“bitter plant”) and also as UMM AL-HALÎB (lit. “mother of milk”, a generic name for plants with white milky juice); HARFASH, MERRER (Abdulridha et.al., l.c.).

Morphology Reproductive morphology Seeds Protein Content

18.80% Entire seed/nut. Moisture content not stated (Jones & Earle, 1966)

Extinction risk predictions for the world's flowering plants to support their conservation (2024). Bachman, S.P., Brown, M.J.M., Leão, T.C.C., Lughadha, E.N., Walker, B.E. https://nph.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/nph.19592

Conservation

Predicted extinction risk: not threatened. Confidence: confident

Compositae, G. V. Pope. Flora Zambesiaca 6:1. 1992

Morphology General Habit

A stout erect annual herb.

Morphology Stem

Stem up to c. 150 cm. tall, simple or sparsely branched in the upper half, leafy hollow usually reddish-tinged often glaucous, stem and branches glabrous or sometimes ± densely glandular-setose and somewhat viscid, setae up to c. 1 mm. long patent purplish; branches up to c. 45 cm. long ascending.

Morphology Leaves

All leaves ± spathulate at first, often deeply laciniate in depauperate specimens. Lower leaves crowded, up to c. 28 x 9 cm., ± oblanceolate in outline, usually pinnately-lobed to coarsely runcinate-pinnatipartite, each with a broadly ovate-hastate apical lobe rounded to acute at the apex; margins usually coarsely and somewhat irregularly dentate with spinulose-acicular teeth; midrib narrowly winged, ± auriculate and semi-amplexicaul below; auricles ± sagittate-spreading, entire to dentate. Upper leaves sessile, smaller, lanceolate, ± deeply lobed to subentire, coarsely and sharply dentate on the margins, basal auricles usually large with acute spreading lobes.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences Capitulum

Capitula stalked, many in corymbiform cymes, stalks glabrous or glandular-setose; involucres up to c. 13 mm. long and 10 mm. in diam., very broadly cylindrical later spreading, densely white tomentose below soon glabrescent, involucre becoming swollen in fruiting capitula.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences Bracts Phyllaries

Phyllaries many-seriate imbricate increasing in length from c. 3 mm. on the outside to c. 13 mm. inside, narrowly lanceolate, glaucous, glabrous except for ciliate apicies and occasionally 1-several large glandular-setae up to c. 2 mm. long along the midrib, the midribs below becoming swollen and corky.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Florets

Florets numerous; corollas yellow up to c. 13 mm. long, tube slender and pubescent above, ligule c. 5.5 mm. long and strap-shaped.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits

Achenes light to reddish-brown, up to c. 3 x 1 mm., narrowly obovoid and somewhat flattened, ± uniformly many-ribbed; ribs minutely muricate with numerous retrorse projections.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Seeds Pappus

Pappus white copious c. 7 mm. long, composed of barbellate setae intermixed with down-like hairs.

Compositae, C. D. Adams. Flora of West Tropical Africa 2. 1963

Morphology General Habit

An erect herb 2-10 ft. high with glabrous striate hollow stems

Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences

Campanulate flower-heads 3/4 in. long with pale yellow florets.

Use Medicines Unspecified Medicinal Disorders

Used in liquid medicines (Lagos-López 2007).

Use Animal Food

Used as animal food.

Use Gene Sources

Used as gene sources.

Use Food

Used for food.

Use Materials

Used as material.

Use Medicines

Medical uses.

Use

According to Lindley & Moore (1870) this species was at one time eaten as a salad plant, though it has long since given place to more palatable herbs. Rawi & Chakravarty (1964) state that the brownish gum left after the evaporation of the juice of the plant is said to be a powerful hydragogue cathartic and has been used as a “so-called cure” of opium addiction.